The Phrase
• A phrase is a group of related words, used as a single part of speech, that never contains a verb and a subject.
• It does NOT create a sentence.
I. Verb Phrase
• Every word in a verb phrase is a verb.
• Examples: – A storm is approaching.– Thunder could be heard in the
distance.
II. The Prepositional Phrase• A prepositional phrase (P A N)
– begins with a preposition,– it may have adjectives– it ends with a noun or pronoun (obj. of
the prep.) • Example: in that picture
• It acts like an adjective OR adverb.
• Two kinds of prepositional phrases:
– 1. Adjective phrase - a prepositional phrase used as an adjective. It tells what kind or which one. It follows the noun or pronoun it modifies.
• Examples: A book of jokes might make a good gift.
The girl in the blue shirt won the contest.
2. Adverb phrase - a prepositional phrase used as an adverb. It tells when, where, how, why.
It modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
It comes anywhere in the sentence except after the subject.
• Examples: Later in the afternoon, the storm brought
high winds and rain.We played for hours.
III. Verbal phrase
• A phrase that is centered around a verb form.
• This verb form is NOT used as a verb in the sentence.
• It is used as a noun, adj. Or adv.
3 Kinds of Verbal Phrases
• Participial Phrase • Gerund Phrase• Infinitive Phrase
A. Participles/Participial Phrases - Any verb forms used as adjectives- Can be taken out of the sentence- Have several forms
• Note: A participle is always used as an adjective, therefore it comes close to a noun.
• They can come BEFORE or AFTER the noun
Some participial verb forms:• -ing as in “The pouring
rain…”• -ed as in “The soiled
carpet…”• -n or – en as in “The broken
arrow…”• -t as in “The bent tree…”
Examples of Participles:
• The falling snow is beautiful.
• The bucking bronco…
• The running stream…
Examples of Participles:
• * The participial phrase usually needs commas.
• The snow, falling on the trees, is beautiful.
Examples of Participles:
• The fallen snow was beautiful.
• Having fallen, the boy slid into the teacher.
• Having fallen on the ice, the boy slid into the teacher.
• If the participial phrase comes first in the sentence, it is separated from the sentence with a comma.
Examples of Participles:
• The boy, having fallen on the snow, slid into the teacher.
Caution:
• If a participle is not close to the noun it modifies, it can become misplaced.
The boy slid into the teacher having fallen on the ice.
• **problem – so far from “boy” – did the boy fall or the teacher ??? Called a misplaced participle.
B. Gerund Phrase
A gerund is a verbal, or verb form, that ends in -ing and is used as a noun. • A gerund always ends in ing and is always
used as a noun.• Never surrounded by commas except for
appositives• Be careful of –ING verb forms that ARE used
as verbs in a sentence (these are not gerunds)
• Positions: subject, direct object, predicate nominative, object of the preposition
Not all –ING words are Gerunds:• Morning• Evening• Something• Nothing• Anything• Everything• She is driving to school today.
• Examples of gerunds/gerund phrases:
• As subject: Kissing is fun.
Kissing my dog is fun.
• As predicate nominative: My hobby is kissing.My hobby is kissing
my dog.
• As direct object: I like kissing.I like kissing my dog.
• Examples of gerunds/gerund phrases con’t.:
• As object of the prep.: I am good at kissing.
I am good at kissing my dog.
>Kissing can still be a verb phrase and not a gerund:
I am kissing my dog.
Find the gerund phrase
• Swimming the mile is my best event.• I gave swimming the mile a try.• He lectured us about swimming the
mile.• My best event is swimming the mile.
• His sister was dancing in the show.
C. Infinitives/Infinitive Phrases An infinitive is a verbal, or verb form, that
can be used as a noun, adjective, or an adverb.
An infinitive usually begins with to + a plain verb form ( no endings; no -s, -ing)
– Example: to walk, to talk, to go, to see
– Don’t confuse with prep. phrase - a prep. phrase has no verb.
Infinitives as nouns:
To succeed is my goal. (subj.)
My ambition is to teach Spanish. (p.n.)
She tried to win. (D.O.)Noun will appear in a noun position.
Which two are not used????
Infinitives as adjectives:
The place to meet tomorrow is the
library.
She is the one to call.
Adjective will come directly after a noun and modify it by telling which or what kind.
Infinitives as adverbs:
• To get into Harvard, you must study.
• Tamara claims she was born to surf.
• This math problem will be hard to solve without a calculator.
• Adverb will come first with comma, or answer adv. question, or come after an adjective.
Some famous Infinitives:
• “To be or not to be, that is the question.”• “To know me is to love me.”• “You’ve got to live a little.”• “I vant to drink your blooooooood.”• “I wanna hold your hand.”• “I’ve only just begun to fight.”• “To boldly go where no man has gone
before…” (split infinitive)
• Note: To plus a noun or a pronoun (to Washington, to
her) is a prepositional phrase, not an infinitive.
–Prep. Phrase: I am going to the mall today.
– Infinitive: I am going to shop for new shoes.
IV. The Appositive Phrase…• Is centered around a noun
• Bob, a boy in my class, sits next to me.
• Renames another noun in the main sentence.
• Bob is renamed with boy.
• Can be removed from the sentence.
• Bob sits next to me.
The Appositive Phrase…
• Will be surrounded by commas 99% of the time.
• Bob, my friend, is nice.• My friend Bob is nice.
• MOST appositive phrases come AFTER the noun it renames.
• Bob, my friend, is nice.• A friend at all times, Bob is always there.
The Appositive Phrase…
• Will not begin with a pronoun like “who,” “which,” “that,” etc. + a verb
• The boy who sits next to me is Bob.– No appositive in the above sentence.
May have a pronoun + verb later in the phrase
The Appositive Phrase…
• Will not begin with a verb form.• The boy calling out my name is Bob.